Ceiling fixtures can quickly change the appearance of a room, often providing a space-saving combination of beauty and utility. Ceiling-mounted paddle fans, for example, help keep a room cool or warm by increasing air circulation. Ceiling fan use can also save space and increase safety by eliminating the need for floor fans. Suspended light sources, such as chandeliers and pendant lights, provide room lighting that supplements or replaces lamps and other light sources.
Broadly speaking, ceiling-mounted fixtures typically include three components: a fixture main assembly, a ceiling canopy that covers the mounting hardware and electrical junction box, and a suspension member that extends between the main assembly and the ceiling canopy. The three components are often sold as a complete set.
This multi-component design is easy to ship and produce. However, the ceiling canopy and suspension member provided with a given fixture does not always suit the fixture main assembly.
In many cases, an individual will purchase a ceiling fan or light based upon the appearance of the fixture main assembly, without the ability to select the accompanying ceiling canopy and suspension member. As a result, it is quite possible that a purchased fixture will include mounting components that do not match a chosen fan or light. At other times, otherwise-acceptable mounting components may simply not match the decor of a given room. For these and other reasons, it is often desirable to change the appearance of the mounting components included with a given ceiling fixture.
Unfortunately, changing the appearance of ceiling fixture mounting components can be difficult. Replacement components may, for example, not be available for antique or one-of-a-kind fixtures. And even where suitable replacement components are available, actually replacing the components may often prove difficult or costly. As an alternative to component replacement, several devices have been developed to allow an individual to cover selected mounting hardware.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,439,352, for example, discloses a decorative casing device for a ceiling fan. The '352 device includes a main body and a decorative casing member. Support arms on the main body engage the casing member and hold the casing member in place with respect to an existing ceiling fan.
Although the casing member covers the selected fan motor, the '352 device does not modify the appearance of the remaining fixture components.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,836,740 discloses an outer casing for mounting around a ceiling fixture suspension rod. The '740 device includes cooperating side, top, and bottom panels that are assembled to form a sealing vessel that surrounds a fixture suspension rod . Each of the panels has teeth that engage corresponding notches in the adjacent panels. While the '740 casing covers some suspension members, the device has a fixed size and is, therefore, suitable only in limited situations. Additionally, the '740 device does not change the appearance of ceiling canopies or ceiling mounting hardware.
Thus, what is needed is a decoration device for ceiling-mounted fixtures that includes advantages of the known devices, while addressing the shortcomings they exhibit. The device should change the appearance of suspension members as well as ceiling canopies, if desired. The device should also be modifiable to fit fixture support components of various lengths. Additionally, the device should be installed and removed without tools. The device should also positively engage components that are to be covered, thereby preventing unwanted relative shifting between the device and concealed components.